摘要:
A universal probe which can be used with many different types of scanning probe microscopes is disclosed. The probe is mounted on a flexible base. The flexible base may either be a flexible cantilevered beam or a flexible membrane. The probe is a sharply tapered probe and forms in general a squat hollow pyramid or cone. The apex of the pyramid or cone has an aperture defined therethrough with a small controlled diameter of the order of 10 to 50,000 Angstroms. The hollow within the probe is filled with a material chosen according to the type of the scanning probe microscope used and the underlying surface. A signal is coupled to the material in the tip of the probe from the scanning probe microscope to interact with the underlying surface.
摘要:
Systems and methods that enable both spectroscopy and rapid chemical and/or optical imaging using a broadband light source. Broadband light sources may be advantageous for spectroscopy as they simultaneously illuminate a sample with a plurality of wavelengths and use interferometric techniques to determine a material response as a function of wavelength (or equivalently wavenumber). Some embodiments may enable the same radiation sources to be used to efficiently map the spatial distribution of chemical species or optical property variations. This may be achieved via selection of specific optical phase delays within an interferometer that are selected to maximize the contrast between different absorption bands or resonances within the sample. By optimally selecting specific interferometer phases it may be possible to construct images that substantially represent the material response to a specific wavelength excitation, without the necessity to obtain entire spectra at each sample location. This can provide orders of magnitude improvements in the measurement speed for required with a broadband source to provide compositional/optical property mapping.
摘要:
Dynamic IR radiation power control for use in a nanoscale IR spectroscopy system based on an Atomic Force Microscope. During illumination from an IR source, an AFM probe tip interaction with a sample due to local IR sample absorption is monitored. The power of the illumination at the sample is dynamically decreased to minimize sample overheating in locations/wavelengths where absorption is high and increased in locations/wavelengths where absorption is low to maintain signal to noise.
摘要:
An AFM based technique has been demonstrated for performing highly localized IR spectroscopy on a sample surface. Significant issues as to size, cost of implementation, and repeatability/robustness of results exist in commercializing the technique. The invention addresses many of these issues thereby producing a version of the analytical technique that can be made generally available to the scientific community.
摘要:
Described herein are devices and methods for sensing pulsed forces. Some of the described devices and methods are also useful for measuring infrared absorbances and compiling spectral and chemical maps of surfaces. Also described are microcantilever having reduced harmonic frequencies when operating in contact mode. Some of the described microcantilevers comprise an internal resonator configured to vibrate substantially independent of friction between the microcantilever tip and a surface when the microcantilever operates in contact mode. A number of the described devices and methods are useful for monitoring pulsed forces with enhanced sensitivity.
摘要:
A method and apparatus are provided that have the capability of rapidly scanning a large sample of arbitrary characteristics under force control feedback so has to obtain a high resolution image. The method includes generating relative scanning movement between a probe of the SPM and a sample to scan the probe through a scan range of at least 4 microns at a rate of at least 30 lines/sec and controlling probe-sample interaction with a force control slew rate of at least 1 mm/sec. A preferred SPM capable of achieving these results has a force controller having a force control bandwidth of at least closed loop bandwidth of at least 10 kHz.
摘要:
A system and method for automatic analysis of temperature transition data over an area of a sample surface. The system relies on the use of a microfabricated probe, which can be rapidly heated and cooled and has a sharp tip to provide high spatial resolution. The system also has fast x-y-z positioners, data collection, and algorithms that allow automatic analysis of and visualization of temperature transition data.
摘要:
A drive actuator for a measurement instrument having a probe, the drive actuator including a heating element in a thermally conductive relationship with the probe such that application of electric current to the heating element modifies a characteristic of the probe. The probe device includes a probe including a cantilever having a lever made of a material having a selected thermal expansivity and a drive actuator in operable cooperation with the cantilever lever made of a material having a thermal expansivity different than the thermal expansivity of the material of which the cantilever lever is made.
摘要:
A cantilever probe-based instrument is controlled to counteract the lateral loads imposed on the probe as a result of probe sample interaction. The probe preferably includes an active cantilever, such as a so-called bimorph cantilever. Force counteraction is preferably achieved by monitoring a lateral force-dependent property of probe operation such as cantilever free end deflection angle and applying a voltage to at least one of the cantilever and one or more separate actuators under feedback to maintain that property constant as the probe-sample spacing decreases. The probe could further uses at least one of contact flexural and torsional resonances characteristics to determine contact and release points. With the knowledge of the tip profile, quantitative mechanical data for probe sample interaction can be obtained.
摘要:
This invention involves measurement of optical properties of materials with sub-micron spatial resolution through infrared scattering scanning near field optical microscopy (s-SNOM). Specifically, the current invention provides substantial improvements over the prior art by achieving high signal to noise, high measurement speed and high accuracy of optical amplitude and phase. Additionally, it some embodiments, it eliminates the need for an in situ reference to calculate wavelength dependent spectra of optical phase, or absorption spectra. These goals are achieved via improved asymmetric interferometry where the near-field scattered light is interfered with a reference beam in an interferometer. The invention achieves dramatic improvements in background rejection by arranging a reference beam that is much more intense than the background scattered radiation. Combined with frequency selective demodulation techniques, the near-field scattered light can be efficiently and accurately discriminated from background scattered light. These goals are achieved via a range of improvements including a large dynamic range detector, careful control of relative beam intensities, and high bandwidth demodulation techniques. In other embodiments, phase and amplitude stability are improved with a novel s-SNOM configuration.